During the play of the game of golf it is often desirable to determine, while on the putting green and ready to putt, who is “away”, i.e., whose ball is furthest from the hole, because that determines the first person required to putt. As is often the case, individual players may be close enough in distance from the hole in different directions around the hole, that it is difficult to ascertain who is away. This is typically resolved by either pacing the distance from the hole to each ball on the green, or alternatively, by using a crude measuring device such as the golf hole flag stick (pin), golf clubs, or the like. Such methods of measuring are either inaccurate, or cumbersome, or both.
The issue of distance from the hole becomes even more critical when players are involved in a contest to determine whose ball stops moving in closest proximity to the hole when hit onto the green. In such a contest, even fractions of an inch can determine a winner among many different players of the contested hole. Side bets may be involved, and the situation is ripe for cheating and arguments, if not physical fights, especially if a means for accurate and consistent distance measurement isn't available. Therefore an accurate measurement device, particularly one having a built-in enforcement of consistent measurement method is needed. For example, the measurement can be made from the edge of the cup in the hole, the center of the hole, or the side of the pin (flag stick) in the cup; to the side or the center of the ball. Furthermore, the “side” of the hole or ball could be the nearest or the farthest side. Consistent choices for all of these factors must be made by every player on the subject green. Even given consistent choices, accuracy of measurement will also be affected by how accurately the measurer estimates the location of “nearest/farthest side” or “center”, possibly having to take into account parallax.
Often in such “closest to the pin” contests, an actual measurement number is not used, but rather a “proximity marker” is used to physically indicate where the previously closest ball was located. The marker is typically a pointed spike (ground stake) supporting a small sign board upon which player's names are placed in sequence as each following name applies to a closer proximity than the preceding ones. The closest proximity so far is marked by pressing the stake into the ground, and the bottom name indicates the achiever of that closest position.
The described type of proximity marker causes greens maintenance issues wherein holes left by the ground stake of a typical proximity marker are damaging to the bent grass on the green. The round hole perhaps a half inch in diameter that is left by a proximity marker stake is too big to close easily and thus leaves a spot for foreign grass seed to access the underlying dirt, plant itself and grow where it is not wanted. Therefore there is a need for means to record relative proximity without placing holes in the green. Of course a proximity marker stuck anywhere in the ground can be a nuisance as an obstacle that can be unfairly moved between players.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,030 (Hanson; Sep. 10, 1974) discloses a closest to pin measurer that provides a post for fitting in the flag pin hole of the cup and an attachment point for the free end of a tape measure. Although this helps provide a consistent measurement point at the cup, it appears to be a nuisance to use and to store when not in use, since it must be put into the cup in place of the flag pin for use, then taken out and stored somewhere when the flag is replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,232 (Lang; Nov. 14, 1989) discloses a distance measuring device wherein a T-handled stake fits into the flag pin hole of the cup (in place of the flag pin) and a tape measure that is stored in a U-shaped holder on the stake can be pulled away from the stake to make a measurement. The free end of the tape is secured to the stake. A card holder is also attached to the stake to replace a movable position-indicating proximity marker. This device apparently suffers from essentially the same limitations as Hanson regarding nuisance.
Both Hanson and Lang join many other prior art measurement devices in using a measurement method of holding the free end of a tape or string at the hole, and pulling the tape measure body out to the ball. A problem with this method is that the body is bulky and often awkward to position accurately against the ball without moving it; and if the body is pulled past the ball, then a reading on the tape measure must be made by lining up the horizontal tape with a consistent point of the round ball while avoiding parallax errors—something that very few people can do well.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,329 (Trigg et al.; Jun. 16, 1981) reverses the measurement in the embodiment of his FIGS. 2-3 by clipping the body on the flag pin and pulling the free end of a string out to the ball. This also avoids the nuisance of having an extra device lying around the green since it clips onto the existing flag pin. However, Trigg et al.'s device is apparently designed for being carried by an individual golfer, not for leaving at a hole. Thus it has a string for relative, but not measureable, distance determination; and the body of the device is held in a horizontal plane when clipped on the flag pin, making it difficult to read if a tape measure were to be substituted since the tape would be vertical. Thus it has a belt clip but not a substantial clip for secure or permanent attachment to the flag pin. Trigg's flag pin clip comprises a reel housing (14) onto which are rotatably attached a left clip half (42) and a right clip half (46). The right clip half (42) has an arcuate portion and the left clip half (46) has an arcuate portion, the ends of which engage each other at a meeting point (50). A spring (54) biases the right and left clip halves (42, 46) into engagement at point (50).
Since Trigg et al.'s device is intended for personal carrying such as on a belt, his clip must be relatively thin and appears to be wire-formed and somewhat “flimsy”. It appears that if the spring is not strong enough then the device would be easily pulled off the flag pin during use, especially since the stress is applied primarily at the meeting point of the two clip halves. On the other hand, making the spring stronger could easily cause problems wherein if the wire is bent somewhat to result in mis-alignment of the clip halves at the meeting point, then the halves would not meet but would bypass each other. Therefore Trigg et al.'s device would not appear to be suitable for contest use: it is not rugged enough for many players to use/abuse; and it won't stay up off the ground if left clipped onto the flag pin.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and method of use for accurately and consistently measuring proximity to the hole for a plurality of golf players. Its an added object to be able to make such measurements and record them for many players as each plays through a given hole where the device would be stored for use by all.